Steam-generator



UNiTnn sures PATENT Gretna SIDNEY sMITH, OF CAMBRIDGE, trassaonusnrrs.

STEAM-GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,317, dated November 27, 1883.

Application filed July 10, 1883. (No model.)

If all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY SMITH, of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State provements in Steam-Generators, of which the are insured.

My invention consists in the several improvements which Iwill now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents vention.

a side elevation of a boiler and a longitudinal section of the casing thereof embodying my in- Fig. '2 represents a transverse vertical section on line 00 m, Fig. 1, looking toward the bridgewall. Fig. 3 represents an end elevation .of the boiler and its feed-water pipes and a transverse vertical section of the casing. Fig. at represents a top viewof the boiler and its feed-water pipes and a horizontal section of the casing. Fig. 5 represents an elevation of the front end of the outer inclos ing-wall.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings,a represents the boiler, which is of the ordinary horizontal tubular kind.

b represents a vertical inner wall surrounding the boiler; and 0 represents a larger wall surrounding the wall b, and separated from the latter by an air-space, (Z.

8 represents the bridge-wall in the rear of the grate a. Said wall is provided with an Argand burner, 0, consisting of a chamber or passage extending through the wall slengthwise of the latter, and also, if desired, along the sides of the walls of the furnace, and communicating with the air-space (Z and numerous perforations extending from said chamber through the sides of the bridge and furnace 2,) through which cold air is admitted to the space (I, where it becomes heated by contact with the heated inner walland passes through the Argand burner to the fire, becoming additionally heated in its passage through said burner. The fire is thus supplied with hot air. I prefer to place one or more plates or partitions, P, in the space d, provided with numerous small perforations, said partitions being so located that the air will necessarily pass through the perforations thereof ou'its way to the A rgand'burners. The current of air entering the registers is thus finely-subdivided, so that it is more thoroughly and uniforrnl y heated in its passage through the space d than would be the case if its volume were the top or steam chamber of the boiler, and

separated from the latter by a narrow space or air-chamber, g, which communicates with the fire-space below the plates 1). p (2 represents a horizontal partition extending across the space between the rear end of the boiler and the inner wall, b,"abovetheflues of the boiler. y e represents a vertical wall built on aplate, 0, of refractory material, supported by the inclosingwalls, and separatingthe air-chamber g from the chimney c, said wall 6 being built close to the outer end of the boiler. The partition d and wall 0' prevent the fire and products of combustion from being drawn byth'e draft of the chimney into the air-chamber q,

so that while the air-chamber q communicates with the fire chamber or space belowthe plates 19, and is heated thereby, the fire and-products of coinbustiod are chiefly confined to the surfaces of the boiler below the water-line and to the lines of the boiler in passing to the chimney. The wall 6 is separated from the end of walls nextthe grate. The outerinclosing-wall, I the boiler by aisufficient space to permit the c, is provided with registers f,

(see Figs. 1 and l necessary expansion of the boiler. The par- 10o tition d is also separated from the rear end of the boiler by a similar space, and is supplemented by a metal plate, f, leaning loosely against the end of the boiler, so that no passage exists between the partition d and the end of the boiler. Provision is thus made for the expansion of the boiler without injury to the inclosing-walls. The hot-air chamber (1 enables a comparatively high temperature to be maintained on the surface of the upper boiler-plates, thus making the expansion of said plates as nearly equal to that ot'the lower plates as is possible, and giving the highest possible temperature to the steam-chamber. The fire space or chamber below the plates 1) is considerably widened by the construction shown and described, the space between the inner wall, 12, and the sides of the boiler immediately under the plates 1) being preferably about three times as wide as the air-chamber q. i

g 9 represent feed-water-heating pipes, extending back and forth along the inner sides of the walls I), under the plates 1). Said pipes are connected at their lower ends by branches g g with a feed-water-supply pipe, h, 'and at their upper ends by'pipes w w and w 1/0 with the boiler at or near the water-line, the pipes to w extending crosswise of the boiler and connecting the pipes g with opposite sides of the boiler from those to which said pipes g are in closest proximity. This arrangement of the pipes 10 enables them to be readily moved by the expansion and contraction of the pipes 9, thus preventing fractures or leaks. The pipes w and 9 pass through sleeves in the inclosingwalls, which are adapted to permit the endwise movements of said pipes, due to expansion and contraction.

m represents a pipe extending downwardly from the bottom of the boiler and outwardly through the inclosing-walls, and provided at a point outside of said walls with a blow-off cock, Z. Said pipe receives the sediment from the water in the boiler, while the blow-oif cock enables such sediment to be discharged. The feed-water-heating pipes are provided with similar sediment-receiving pipes, 51 g", also provided with blow-off cocks.

it represents a pipe connecting the upper portion of the pipemwith the feed-watersupply pipe h, and branches 9', communicating with the pipes g. The pipe h is provided with a check-valve, i, to prevent feed-water from entering the bottom of. the boiler through the pipe 71. The feed-water pipe h is provided with a valve, m, by which the supply of feedwater may be shut off. 7

When the boiler is being fed the check-valve i is closed, and the entering water passes back and forth along the sides of the fire-chamber, through the pipes g, which are exposed to the full heat of the fire, and is supplied to the upper part of the boiler in a highly-heated condition. When the boiler is not being fed, the valve m is closed, and the water circulates from the lower part of the boiler through the pipes m h, branches and pipes y w w to the upper part of the boiler. The pipes 10 ware provided with check-valves j j, which 00- 7o operate with the check-valve 13 in the pipe h to cause a flow of water upwardly through the heaterpipes to the upper part of the boiler, either from the feed-water pipe h or from the bottom of the boiler, when the pipe h is shut off. Said check-valves counteract any reverse currents either from the feed-water or from the boilertotheheater-pipes. Thefeed-waterheating pipes g extend back and forth along the sides of the fire-space in a vertical series, as shown. To keep the said pipes in place laterally, I provide them with clamps r, each composed of two vertical bars, placed at opposite sides of the pipes, and connected by bolts passing through the spaces between the pipes, as shown in Fig. 2. The pipes are thus firmly clamped, so that their parts will always remain in the same vertical plane and cannot be disturbed or warped, so as to project into the fire-space. The increased width of the firespace forms recesses or spaces under the plates 12 for the reception of the heating-pipes 9, so that while said pipes are fully exposed to the action of the firethey do not obstruct the firespace nor impede the action of the fire upon the boiler. The construction of the inclosingwall- 7), including the inwardly projecting plates 1), gives the fire free action on the boiler up to the water-line, and nearly or quite cuts oif the fire above said water-line.

If the apparatus is to be used for heating purposes as well as for steam-generating, a partition, 8, should be built over the arch I), thus forming an air-chamber, s, heated from the furnace and boiler. A suitable pipe, 8, conducts the hot air from the chamber 8 to an apartment to be heated. The hot air thus supplied may be furnished with moisture from a tank or basin, 2, made preferably of brick, and placed at any suitable part of the casing, where it will be sufficiently heated to cause suitable evaporation, and connected with the chamber 8 by a flue, 2, which conducts the moistureladen air to said chamber. (See Fig. 3.) The walls or surfaces forming the chamber 8 are coated with soluble glass, and are thus rendered impervious to gases from the furnace. The feed-door A of the furnace is made in two sections, 2 3, each adapted to be opened independently. The upper section, 2, is larger than the lower section, and has a sight-hole, 4, covered byja sheet of mica or other suitable transparent material. This construction enables the lower and smaller section to be opened for the purpose of cleaning the fire, the other section remaining closed, so that the smallest possible quantity of cold air is admitted to the furnace. The sight-hole enables the fireman to readily inspect the fire without opening the door.

5 5 represent openings at opposite sides of stoppers. These openings give access to the fire at the sides of the furnace. The lower side of the feed-door and of the openings 5 5 are on a line with the top of the grate-bars.

By my improvements in the construction of the inclosure or casing of the boiler the area of the fire-surface on the shell of the boiler is largely increased, and the deleterious effects of more concentrated fire (one of the causes of unequal expansion and consequent tendency to explosion) is prevented. The passage of the heat from the fire to the steam chamber through the water is more direct when applied near the water-line, and the heat is not obstructed and narrowed into small passageways by the tubes of the boiler. The water can be raised to the temperature of three hundred and twenty-five degrees (325) in the circulatingheaters before entering the boiler.

The impurities of the water are precipitated and removed through the blow-off cocks. The

steam can be raised to a temperature of three hundred and sixty-two degrees (362) with a steam-gage pressure of sixty (60) pounds on 5 the boiler to the square inch. The air for the purpose of the combustion of the gases from and heated to one hundred and twenty-eight degrees, (128,) and then conveyed to rooms or chambers containing auxiliary steam coils or radiators, thus avoiding freezing the water.

from the condensed steam in the return-pipes. One hundred and twenty (120) cubic feet of air during weather at forty degrees below zero can be warmed to a temperature of seventy degrees (70) in a building exposed on all sides with one square foot of steam-radiating surface. \Vhen an engine is stopped and the steam is not taken into the cylinder, a the heat of the fire acts directly on the sheets over the fire, the circulation is nearly at a standstill, and the iron and water are surcharged with heat. WVhen the engine is started, thepressure on the surface of the water in the boiler is lessened, and this accumulated heat in the water and shell instantly flashes into steam and rises to the surface and acts on theboiler with tremendous elastic force.

Vith my improved circulating heaters,

i when the engine stops, (or the steam-valve is through these circulating-heaters, so thatsudden contraction by the introduction of colder water than in the boiler is also avoided. If water remains at rest a suflicient length of ing through the fines of the boiler, may be conducted to the chimney through flues E, Fig. 4:, extending back and forth through an air-chamber, F, the latter having a suitable opening at its lower portion for the admission of cold air, and communicating at its upper portion with the chamber S The cold air entering the chamber F becomes heated by contact with the dues E. The heat is thus utilized to a very full extent.

I do not herein claim the airfeeding mechanism, nor the arrangement for heating houses, such being shown and claimed by me in appl1- cations filed November 6, 1883, numbered 111,015 and 111,016.

' I claim- 1. The combination, with a boiler, of an inclosure composed of substantially vertical portions inclosing the furnace and boiler, substantially horizontal plates built into said wall at or near the waterline of the boiler, and projecting partially over the fire-space formed by said walls, an arch or covering supported by said plates and extending over the steam-chamber of the boiler, forming an air-chamber communicating with the fire-chamber along the sides of the boiler, and walls or obstructions at the ends of the boiler, whereby the products of combustion are mainly prevented from passing through said chamber, and are chiefly confined to the portions of the boiler below the water-line, as set forth.

2. The combination of the boiler, inclosingwalls, arranged, as described, to inclose a small space over the steam-chamber, and a larger space at the sides of the water-chamber, and

feed-pip es arranged longitudinally of the boiler and practically parallel therewith in the enlarged spaces inclosed by the walls, substantially as described. V

3. The combination, with a boiler andits inclosing-wall, of circulating water-heating pipes arranged within the wall so as to be practically parallel with the boiler, one end of said pipes being connected with the lower portion of the water-chamber of the boiler, and the other end with the upper portion of said water-ehamber, no portion of said pipes being above the water-level in the boiler, all substantially as described. I

4. The combination, with a boiler and its inclosing-wall, of the circulating water-heating pipes, arranged as shown, each pipe being connected at its lower end with the feed-water supply, and at its upper end with the upper portions of the water-chamber of the boiler, combined with said feed-water supply-pipe, having a valve for shutting off the feed-water, the pipe h, connecting the heauingpipcs wan the bottom of the boiler, and check-valves,

whereby water is prevented from entering the bottom of the boiler through the pipe h, but is compelled to circulate downwardly through the pipes from the bottom of the boiler, and up into the boiler again at the upper part of the water-chamber, as set forth.

5. The combination, with the cylindrical boiler arranged horizontally, of feed water pipes, arranged, as described, substantially parallel with the boiler, and inclosing-walls extending over the upper surface of the boiler, but a little distance therefrom, so as to form a narrow chamber, and a partition or wall, as d, at rear end of the boiler at or near the water-line, so as to cause the gases which on ter said chamber to pass out from it at or below the waterline, and so through the fines of the boiler, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the boiler, inclosingwalls arranged, as described, to inclosc a small space over the steam-chamber, and a larger space at the sides of the water-chamber, feedpipes arranged longitudinally of the boiler and practically parallel therewith in said enlarged spaces, and retaining-clamps, substantially as described, to support said pipes in such position, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the boiler, the furnace, the inclosing -walls, the chamber S in said walls over the boiler, the auxiliary airchamber F outside of the inclosingwvalls and communicating with the chamber S and the extended flues E, forming a single continuous passage adapted to convey the waste heat and products of combustion to the chimney through the chamber F, and thereby heat the air supplied to the chamber S as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses-this 7th day of July, 1883.

SIDNEY SlWIITH.

Witnesses:

G. F. BROWN, A. L. WHITE. 

